Process for heat treating coal



Oct. 18, 1932. c. E. LUCKE PROCESS FOR HEAT TREATING COAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 x m q N N l/ x/ Filed NOV-19, 1928 I I l l J1 INVENTOR z da air/J4 w/euX ATTORNEYS Oct. 18, 1932. r c. E. LUCKE 1,383,311

PROCESS FOR HEAT TREATING COAL Filed Nov.19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY x9 r/wu ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE CHARLES E. LUCI KE, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE BABCOCK 8c WILOOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW J'ERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PROCESS FOR HEAT TREATING COAL Application filed November 1a, 1928. Serial 1%. 820,364.

This invention relates to a process for heat treating coal in the presence of superheated steam, and in which the heat in the hot products resulting from the heat treatment is utilized for generating steam for the heat treatment.

This invention is for a fuel fired coal treating process in which steam is used for the treatment of coal or coke or the like, where the hot products of the treatment are used to generate low pressure steam and are later separated. Also the heating gases, after supplying heat to the process, are used to generate steam at a pressure higher than the process pressure. In the operation of the system the low pressure steam generated by the heat in the products of treatment can be compressed by means of a compressor to the process pressure and also the higher pressure steam generated from the waste heating gases of the process can be reduced to the process pressure, any combinations of these two conditions being possible. In other installations of this character the boiler has been of primary importance, whereas the coal processing equipment being incorporated with the boiler or using the waste heating gases therefrom,

has been of secondary importance, but in this case the situation is reversed with the coal processing apparatus of primary importance and the steam boiler, using the waste gases from the process of secondary importance. The low pressure steam cycle of the system is generated by the heat inthe products of the process, while the higher pressure steam is generated by the heat in the waste heating gases and is supplied to the process through a reducing valve to make up any deficiency. The high pressure boiler will, of course, have most of the steam generated available for power or other purposes;

The invention will be understood from the description in connection with the accomburners 2. A steam boiler 3 is located so as to be heated by the hot products of combustion from the furnace 1. The boiler is indicated as one of the water tube type that is provided with a steam and water drum 4 and with baffies to cause the hot gases to pass across the tubes for generating steam and then pass out through the outlet 5 to a stack, not shown. A pipe 6, with a reducing valve 6 therein, leads from the steam space of the steam and water drum 4 to the inlet of a superheater 7 that is located in the furnace 1. A valved water pipe 8 also leads to the steam pipe 6 where water is sprayed into the steam and the mixture delivered to the superheater 7. The outlet 9 from the superheater leads to a tube coil 10 also located in the furnace 1. Some of the burners 2 may be located between the superheater 7 and the coil 10. An inlet 11 from a source of pulverized coal (not shown) is connected to the pipe 9 so that a mixture of superheated steam and pulverized coal can be introduced into the coil 10 that is also located in the furnace 1. The coil 10 may be a single tube or several tubes in parallel. As illustrated in the drawings a plurality of serpentine tubes are connected in parallel to an inlet header at one end and an outlet header at the other end. The outlet pipe 12 for the hot products leads to a cyclone separator 13 in the valved bottom outlet of which a heating coil 14 is located. Feed water is passed through the heating coil 14 where it becomes heated by the solid particles that are separated out in the cyclone separator 13. The heated water passes through the pipe 15 into the drum.

4 of the boiler. The inlet end 16. of the pipe 17 for the vapors and gases extends from some distance downwardly in the cyclone separator 13 to a low pressure steam generator 18 that is provided with a steam and water drum 19 connected by circulator tubes to the high and low ends of the shell that carries tubes through which the hot vapors and gases pass. The condensates that result from the cooling efi'ect of the water in the boiler 18 are withdrawn through the valved outlet pipe 20 with or without some solids and the non-condensible gases pass out through the outlet 21.

A steam pipe 22 leads from the steam space of the steam and water drum 19 to a turbo compressor 23 driven by a turbine 24 by high pressure steam that enters through the pipe 25 from the steam and water drum 4. The ex haust steam from the turbine 24 and the steam compressed by the compressor 23 pass through the pipe 26 into the pipe 6 where it is mixed with such steam from the high pres sure boiler as maybe needed after the latter has been reduced in pressure by passing through the reducing valve 6 and is used in the process. An outlet pipe 27 may be connected to the steam and Water drum 4 so that surplus steam not needed for the coal proc essing can be used for power or other purposes.

In the operation of the device steam from the steam and water drum 4 passes through the reducing valve 6 to the superheater 7 with or without the addition of water spray through pipe 8 as necessary. The superheated steam passes through pipe 9 and pulverized coal or coke is fed through pipe 11 into the stream of superheated steam, and is carried by the superheated steam through the plurality of serpentine tubes 10 in the furnace 1. The hot products of the process pass out through pipe 12 into the cyclone separator 13 where the solid particles separated out pass around the coil 14 and heat the boiler feed water passing therethrough. The mixture of hot volatile products, noncondensible gases, steam and solid particles not separated pass through the pipe 17 into the low pressure steam generator 18, the condensates and perhaps some of the solid particles leaving by the outlet pipe 20 and the non-condenslble' gases leaving by the outlet pipe 21, all for further treatment and later storage or use. The low pressure steam generated is compressed by the compressor 23, and, together with the exhaust steam from the turbine device of the compressor passes back to pipe 6, where a regulated quantity of higher pressure steam from the steam and water drum 4 is admitted after being reduced to process pressure through the reducing valve 6' and the whole returned to the process. The water inlet pipe 8 is provided so that water may be admitted to the superheater 7 to prevent excessive temperature, when necessary, and also to add some steam by its evaporation.

This invention can be used for either carbonization of coal or gasification of coal and/or coke, or other carbonaceous material or mixtures of two or more of them. Where the word coal is used in the claims it will be understood to include all such carbonaceous materials or mixtures. The operation heater and by regulation of the furnace burners, particularly those located between the superheater and the processing tubes.

I claim:

1. The processing of, coal including the production of combustible fluids therefrom, which comprises combining superheated steam and pulverized coal in a fuel fire-heated conduit, generating low pressure steam by the heat in the hot products from said conduit, then compressing said low pressure steam for use in said conduit, and collecting said combustible fluids.

2. The processing of coal including the production of combustible fluids therefrom,

which comprises combining superheated steam and pulverized coal in a fuel fire-heated conduit, generating low pressure steam by the heat in the hot products from said conduit, then compressing and superheating said low pressure steam for use in said conduit, and collecting said combustible fluids.

3. The processing of coal including the production of combustible fluids therefrom, which comprises combining superheated steam and pulverized coal in a fuel fire-heated conduit, generating low pressure steam by theheat in the hot products from said conduit, compressing and superheating said low pressure steam for use in said conduit, generating high pressure steam from the products of combustion of the fuel fire used to heat said conduit, and collecting said combustible fluids.

4. The processing of coal including the production of combustible fluids therefrom, which comprises combining superheated steam and pulverized coal in a fuel fire-heated conduit, generating low pressure steam by the heat in the hot products from said conduit, compressing and superheating said low pressure steam for use in said conduit, generating high pressure steam from the products of combustion of the fuel fire used to heat said conduit, reducing the pressure of a portion of said high pressure steam for addition to the low pressure steam, and collecting said combustible fluids.

5. The processing of coal including the production of combustible fluids therefrom, which comprises combining superheated steam and pulverized coal in a fuel fire-heated conduit, generating low pressure steam by the heat in the hot products from said conduit, compressing and superheating said low pressure steam for use in said conduit, generating high pressure steam from the products of combustion of the fuel fire used to heat said conduit, reducing the pressure of a portion of said high pressure steam for addition to the low pressure steam, introducing water to regulate the amount of superheat, and collecting said combustible fluids.

CHARLES E. LUCKE. 

